What was first, the genre or the medium?
Role playing games (the computer variety) are quite old, but Super Columbine Massacre RPG cast them in a different light, both as games and as medium. Looking around I found the following tools for creating electronic stories with relative ease (i.e. as little programming as possible with automation of common tasks):
| Tool | Description | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| RPG Maker | The tool actually used to make Super Columbine Massacre RPG. They have two different versions now (VX is the latest but doesn’t quite supersede the previous XP) and have started releasing themed expansion packs. As the name says, it specializes in classic RPGs, but has some customization via scripting. | Windows only; commercial, free 30-day trials. |
| GameMaker | A more general tool, that can be used to make pretty much any kind of game, even 3D. | Windows/Mac with HTML 5 support in the works; commercial, with a free lite version. |
| Ren’Py | Oriented toward visual novels, it still can be adapted for other uses. | Windows/Mac/Linux; free (Open Source) |
| IG Maker | From the makers of RPG Maker, oriented towards shooters, platform and 2D action RPGs; they can also be exported to the XBox 360. | Windows only; commercial, free trial. |
These other two are heavyweights; they require a lot of technical expertise and could be just too much but I felt they must be included:
| Tool | Description | Availability and target platforms |
|---|---|---|
| Unreal Engine | The engine behind a lot of hit games, including BioShock, Batman: Arkham Asylum and Gears of War, although it also has been used as a general purpose 3D engine for rendering, animation and simulation. | Both free and commercial use editions, with a tiered licensing model; mostly Windows and Consoles, but also available on other platforms. |
| Unity 3D | A 3D development environment that can be deployed on many platforms | Both free and commercial versions, with commercial tools for teams (asset servers); for Computers, Consoles, Mobile and Web using a plugin. |
My experience with these is very limited, but I can suggest:
- For ease of use, RPG Maker VX or IG Maker -just remember ease of use means less and harder customization
- If you just want to mix graphics and text with a bit of user choice, Ren’Py is just the ticket
- For easy 3D or lots of customization, GameMaker. Also for easy web deployment, if and when they finish the HTML 5 version.
- For the full 3D enchilada, Unity 3D is somewhat more accessible than Unreal, being a complete development environment. Both require a good understanding of 3D graphics, programming and modeling -just buying the book won’t cut it.
- Need more information? Why not search YouTube? Many creators upload their works and you can get a feel of what can be done. Just remember: a tool is as good as the person wielding it.
Examples
OK, the tools look good, but technicalities aside, how do I tell my story? The following are terrific examples of the possibilities:
| Game | Kind | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| BioShock | First Person Shooter | The perfect marriage of story, mood and game mechanics. Just the first minutes of play are a marvel of storytelling. |
| Braid | 2D Platform | Building a game out of a theme (time manipulation in this case) while tying a story to it -the ending is incredible. The development blog is a must read. |
| Fallout 3 | 3D Action RPG | An immense environment built around an apocalyptical alternate history, yet you can just shoot around -play the game as you like it. |
| Final Fantasy | 2D, 2.5D RPG | All of them but specially I, VII and X. Despite taking place in different realities with different game mechanics, all games in the series “feel” the same. FF is the essential classic RPG; FF VII mixes 3D characters against pre-rendered backgrounds with unusual game mechanics, including mini-games to perform non-fighting tasks; while FF X just raised the bar on pretty much everything. |
| Metal Gear Solid | 3D Action | Just this one; later ones are worse than Matrix sequels. Metal Gear is about infiltration while avoiding combat; Metal Gear Solid provided a 3D environment with a fixed camera, a subtle story that doesn’t get in your way but can dig into if you like and innovative interactions with the controls to help immersion. |
Non-electronic examples
- Pale Fire by Nabokov was written well before the web existed, but its use of cross-referenced notes to create parallel storylines is superb and actually an important part of the work. The introduction also shows excellently how to create an atmosphere.
- Before videotape existed, Disney used to sell vinyl LPs alongside printed books so children could simulate the movie experience by listening to a edited audio version while perusing the book. As it usually happens, the idea is actually very old; one thousand years ago japanese courtiers had attendants read aloud stories while they perused illustrated scrolls depicting the scenes being read.
- “Choose your adventure” books, where at the end of each page you made a choice, based on which you were directed to another page. Some even had basic rpg-like combat and items! (Now on YouTube: Saved by the Bell interactive game)
- “The Waste Land” by T.S. Elliot, another work making good use of notes -this time for furthering the point behind the poem. For an hyperlinked version see here.
Notes
- Super Columbine Massacre RPG contains many inaccuracies, inherited from the general confusion and/or incompetence/malice of the original investigators. For the definitive reference on Columbine, read the book Columbine, by Dave Cullen.
© 2011 Héctor Cuevas. All rights reserved.
